The invention relates to a badge assembly for being connected to an airbag cover in accordance with the preamble of claim 1. Furthermore, the invention relates to an airbag cover, an airbag module and a vehicle steering wheel comprising such badge assembly. A badge assembly of the afore-mentioned type is known, for example, from U.S. Pat. No. 7,775,550 B2.
The badge assembly known from prior art comprises a badge and a retaining plate, with the badge having a multi-part configuration. Especially, the badge comprises plural individual decoration elements each of which includes fastening pins. In the mounted state the fastening pins extend through the airbag cover and are fixed on a rear side of the airbag cover in a retaining plate. A drawback of the known badge assembly consists in the material expenditure for the decoration elements. The latter are frequently made of comparatively high-quality material such as aluminum so as to achieve an esthetically attractive appearance. In total, the known badge assembly thus includes a relatively high proportion of high-quality materials which results in increased material costs.
It is the object of the invention to state a badge assembly retaining high-quality appearance while being simultaneously adapted to be manufactured at reduced material costs. It is a further object of the invention to state an airbag cover, an airbag module as well as a vehicle steering wheel comprising such badge assembly.
In accordance with the invention, this object is achieved as regards the badge assembly by the subject matter of claim 1, as regards the airbag cover by the subject matter of claim 11, as regards the airbag module by the subject matter of claim 13, as regards the vehicle steering wheel by the subject matter of claim 14 and as regards the manufacturing method by the subject matter of claim 15.
The object is especially achieved by a badge assembly for connection to an airbag cover which includes a badge and a retaining plate. The badge and the retaining plate can be clip-connected to each other, wherein the badge comprises positioning pins which can be inseparably connected to positioning acceptances of the retaining plate and, resp., of a retaining element.
The badge can include a decoration element and a carrier element which are connectable or, resp., connected to each other (especially permanently).
The decoration element and the carrier element can also be formed in one piece, i.e. can be formed of plastic material, preferably being coated with a metallic layer, and can thus form the badge or part of the badge.
Furthermore, the decoration element and the carrier element may form a logo component (14) adapted to be arranged inside a design component (15) of the badge (10).
The carrier element can comprise the positioning pins. The design component, too, can include a plurality of, preferably two, three, four, five or six, positioning pins adapted to be inseparably connected to positioning acceptances of the retaining plate.
Hence, in the invention the badge is advantageously configured in multi-part form, wherein especially a division into a decoration element and a carrier element and/or a design component is made. The carrier element and/or the design component include the positioning pins. The positioning pins at least serve for positioning the badge relative to the retaining plate. Moreover, the positioning pins can be in the form of clip connectors and in this way also can serve for connecting the badge to the retaining plate. Accordingly, the positioning seats can be in the form of clip seats. The decoration element, on the other hand, provides for an optically attractive appearance of the badge assembly. This separation of function between the optical appearance and the fastening function allows reducing the expenditure of material for high-quality materials that can be used for forming the decoration element. In this way the positioning pine are especially prevented from having to be manufactured of a relatively high-quality material as this has been the case in prior art. Rather, the carrier element can be made of inexpensive material, allowing for reduction of the total manufacturing costs for the badge assembly.
It is preferred that the decoration element includes a material different from that of the carrier element. By the use of different materials the cost advantage is exploited in an especially efficient manner. It can especially be provided that the decoration element includes a material of higher quality than that of the carrier element. For example, the decoration element can foe formed by an aluminum sheet.
In preferred embodiments the decoration element can be glued to the carrier element. The gluing allows an especially simple and tight connection between the decoration element and the carrier element so that in total a badge is formed which can be handled uniformly.
Alternatively, the decoration element can also foe crimped, clamped, pressed or looked with the carrier element. In particular, jointly with the decoration element the carrier element can form a logo component adapted to be arranged inside a design component of the badge.
In general the badge may be formed of plural individual components. It is especially preferred that together with the carrier element the decoration element forms a logo component adapted to be handled uniformly which in turn is connectable to a design component of the badge. The individual components, especially the logo component and the design component, can be tightly connectable to each other so that altogether a badge capable of being handled uniformly is formed.
The multi-part badge is configured, according to an optional additional aspect of the invention, so that it is connectable to the retaining plate as an assembly (in one working step).
Each of the design component and the decoration element may be formed of high-quality materials. It is also possible that the design component itself is formed by a decoration element and a carrier element. The design component can also be formed by a plastic member chrome-plated on its surface.
In a preferred embodiment, the design component includes two logo seats into which the logo component can be inserted. This ensures a positive connection between the design component and the logo component. Concretely speaking, the logo seats can be delimited toward a front side of the badge so that the logo component can be fixed to the retaining plate by the design component. The design component may comprise clip connectors which interact with clip seats of the retaining plate for fixing the badge to the retaining plate and/or to the airbag cover. In other words, the design component may partly overlap the logo component so that the logo component is held on the retaining plate in addition to being fastened by the positioning pins or exclusively by the design component. In any case, the design component can serve as hold-down device for the logo component.
The design component can be of annular shape. It is advantageously provided that the logo seats are arranged on an inner periphery of the design component. The logo component can extend radially through the design component and can engage in the respective oppositely arranged logo seats of the design component. A different alignment of the logo seats, for example at an angle relative to the center of the annular design component, is possible. It is equally possible to provide two, three or four logo seats (16) into which the logo component (14) can be inserted.
In another preferred variant of the badge assembly according to the invention, it is provided that the decoration element has a cap-like shape and the cap-like shape includes four side faces and one front face. The decoration element in so far encompasses the carrier element on several sides so that the carrier element is no longer visible from a front side of the badge. The carrier element is rather enclosed by the decoration element in a cap-like manner. In particular, the carrier element can be embedded in the cap-like decoration element so that merely a rear face or the carrier element is exposed. The rear face is adjacent to the airbag cover in the mounted state and thus is no longer visible from outside.
The retaining plate which in the mounted state of the badge assembly is preferably arranged on a rear side of the airbag cover can have at least one predetermined breaking line. It can especially be provided that one or more predetermined breaking lines which yield upon opening of the airbag cover and thus facilitate the release of an airbag, for example driver airbag, arranged beneath the airbag cover extend through the entire retaining plate.
In accordance with an independent aspect, the invention is based on the idea to describe an airbag cover, especially for a steering wheel, comprising an afore-described badge assembly. The badge assembly is preferably connected to a front plate of the airbag cover. In a preferred embodiment of the airbag cover according to the invention, the front plate may include a tear line. The tear line facilitates the release of an airbag adapted to be arranged beneath the airbag cover. It is especially preferred that the retaining plate of the badge assembly is arranged on the front plate such that the predetermined breaking line of the retaining plate is oriented along the tear line of the front plate and is in alignment with the tear line, respectively. Thus it is ensured that the airbag cover including the retaining plate and, resp., the badge assembly can be split so as to release an airbag upon activation thereof.
Another independent aspect of the invention relates to an airbag module including an afore-described airbag cover and/or an afore-described badge assembly. The airbag module further can include at least one airbag, for example a driver airbag, as well as an inflator being in fluid communication with the airbag.
Another independent aspect of the invention relates to a vehicle steering wheel comprising said airbag module and/or an afore-described airbag cover and, resp., an afore-described badge assembly.
Within the scope of the present application, moreover a method of manufacturing an airbag cover is disclosed, with the following steps being carried out. Forming a logo component by connecting a decoration element to a carrier element; arranging the logo component in logo recesses of a design component for forming a badge; plug-connecting the badge to the airbag cover, wherein at least one positioning pin of the badge passes through a front plate of the airbag cover; attaching a retaining plate to the badge so that the front plate of the airbag cover is clamped between the badge and the retaining plate and the retaining plate is non-detachably connected to the badge.
Preferably, upon attaching the retaining plate to the badge, the positioning pins of the badge engage in positioning seats of the retaining plate so that a relative position is defined between the badge and the retaining plate, especially between the badge and the airbag cover. The positioning pins can also be in the form of clip connectors and the positioning seats can be in the form of clip seats so that a tight clip connection is provided and the retaining plate cannot be detached from the badge in a non-destructive manner.